CEOS brings space and other related agencies from across the world together to integrate their satellite systems. Their goal is to get the most functionality and research data out of the more than 150 satellites that are part of the global satellite network. CEOS agencies research climate, the atmosphere, topography, and oceanography, in order to better understand the earth’s physical systems as well as how and why they change. One of the topics they are investigating this year is using old data to make new discoveries.

The committee also discussed the development of future data architectures, which will allow researchers in nations without Earth Observation satellite networks to better access satellite-collected data. Interoperability was also a key topic of the meeting. It already exists in meteorology, which has led to various global forecasting systems. However, CEOS wants to expand this interoperability to the study of how land resources are managed and used.

Nearly 90 scientists participated in the meeting, representing 60 agencies from more than 20 countries.

Frank Kelly, director of the Earth Resources Center in Sioux Falls and this year’s CEOS chair stated that the organization has these archives of data, particularly over the land, that go back, in some cases, 40 years. Members are trying to figure out what’s the best way to mine that data, so we can best use that information and to better understand what’s going on today as well as look to the future.

The scientists also had the opportunity to visit Mt. Rushmore and Crazy Horse Memorial in South Dakota.